WHEN he's not handling curling tongs and hair straighteners, Simon Ackroyd can usually be found pumping iron at his local gym.

The 17-stone hairdresser from Cheadle in Cheshire has got his sights set on following in the enormous footsteps of Arnold Schwarzenegger by winning Mr Universe.

The father-of-four spends his days making women look glamorous and feel good, but invests all his spare time in polishing his own personal image at Silk Town Muscle in Macclesfield.

Burly Mr Ackroyd, 45, has a monstrous 58 inch chest, 21 inch biceps and 29 inch thighs. He lifts heavy weights five times a week, for two hours solid - in the hope of bagging the prestigious accolade in Southport in October.

"I don't see myself as everyone else sees me," said Mr Ackroyd, who consumes a whopping 6,000 calories each day.

"I just think of myself as bigger than the average bloke.

"Some people judge me as some kind of monster, but when they talk to me they realise I am a nice bloke.

"Winning Mr Universe would mean everything," said Mr Ackroyd, who has been bodybuilding for 18 years and cutting hair for three decades.

Mr Ackroyd at his salon Faithful in Stockport [Mercury Press]

No-one expects a guy like me to be working in a hairdressers

Simon Ackroyd

He added: "Everything I've done for the last 18 years will come down to that moment. It's all about getting your condition right on the day."

Mr Ackroyd who owns the Faithful salon in Poynton, Stockport, admits people are often surprised by his choice of profession.

"No-one expects a guy like me to be working in a hairdressers," he said.

"People will walk past with their mouths hanging open. I have a lot of regular clients and they all love it though.

"The difference between body-building and my job is mad, but I've always been a gentle guy."

He entered his first competition in 2007 and won the over-40s prize at the National Amateur Body Builders' Association Championships.